Aaaaand there goes another checkmark off the Life List. I am proud to say that I have officially run 13.1 miles, chugged a beer at 10:30am, eaten three brunch entrees, and snarfed down funnel cake and gelato all in the same day. So. Tired.
8am and FREEZING in Golden Gate Park, but I made it out and got a snap with my bff the Nesquick rabbit
Upon embarking on this half marathon, I took to heart one piece of advice that a co-worker told me – ignore the mass amounts of people around you and stay in your zone. With an ear full of hip hop and house and some rad new headphones (seriously a life-saver), I did just that.
Breakfast of champions
My real accomplishment, however, stems from the progress it took me to reach this point. At this time last year, I was chronically sick with iron deficiency and emotionally unstable from having lost a relationship I would not regain. I could barely walk up a hill in San Francisco let alone run it. And now, a year later, I am healthier, happier (to an extent), incredibly sore and a half marathon down. It is a reminder that we all can do anything we set our minds to, but those actions take time to evolve and take effect. Baby steps go a long way, and in this case, they led to a winding 13.1 mile path through my favorite city.
Clockwise from Top: Caitlin Freeman explains the Mondrian cake; bittersweet chocolate transformed into smooth ganache
On the culinary side of the weekend, baby steps led me towards a hands-on class with the pastry chef of this little coffee joint. Her signature dessert, the Mondrian cake, reflects the artwork of Piet Mondrian that was on display at SFMOMA before its closure. It is a geometric and delicious work of art that I am now able to recreate with a little help of my newly signed copy of Caitlin Freeman’s cookbook. I won’t print the recipe here, so I highly recommend you get thee to a copy stat.
When you start out, run with your head. Once you find your groove, just run.
Pretty strips of cake ready to be smoldered by ganache
The finished product! I would be nowhere without that giant glass of chocolate.
I miss beautiful cooking equipment like this; new cookbook signed, sealed, delivered by the Blue Bottle pastry master herself! Running + cheesecake, she already knows me.
What else is there to do after a long run but to eat? This cute French bistro is tucked inside SOMA and has a decent wait, so it may not be the best place to go if you are starving (as I was). The food is straightforward French and pretty solid. I wished the eggs benny were a little bit warmer, but that waffle was out of this world. And of course, mimosas.
Oh you thought I was done eating? Think again, friends. The North Beach Festival brought mascarpone and whiskey gelato (I know, right) and strawberry funnel cake. Looks like I’ll be back to working out if I want to sustain habits like these!
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